A Rabbit Tale: The Mirror | Chapter II [Comm] (Patreon)

Chapter II

“Darling, I’m in the living room!”

Fievel’s wife called out as he opened the door and hopped onto the rug in the front room of his house. Carefully straddling the desk mirror in one paw, he turned around to shut the door behind him with a soft click, careful not to disturb the wrapping paper covering the mirror’s front.

Might as well make this as much of a surprise as I can…

He thought to himself, taking a moment to ready himself and form what he hoped was a warm and inviting expression on his face. His buck teeth showing as he grinned, he took in a breath and stepped confidently into the living room, holding the wrapped package aloft in front of him and meeting the wide eyes of his wife.

“Tah-dah!”

He exclaimed, as a smile appeared on his wife’s muzzle as well in response to the gesture. She clasped her paws together, raising them up to her right cheek as she tilted her head to the side affectionately.

“Oh Ker, you really should not have.”

Fievel hopped forward, delicately placing the mirror on top of the coffee table in the center of the room before stepping back. He was about to think of a witty response, something along the lines of congratulating the two of them for seeing another anniversary pass by, when his eyes became dulled for a moment.

“Give me… A second, I seem to have misplaced my car keys…”

He said, hoping to resolve this minor issue as quickly as possible as he hopped back into the front room, checking the bowl to see whether he had deposited them there. His wife, her ears drooping slightly in confusion at his attention pivot, looked after him concerned.

“Aren’t they in your coat pocket?”

She called after him, which only caused Fievel to hesitate more, now unable to locate his coat. He turned around, glancing outside through the window at his car parked in the driveway leading up to their garage.

Did I leave it in the car? Oh no, I hope I did not lock it in the car…

“Hold on! I’m going to check the car to see if I left my coat there.”

He was about to head out the front door, when in a slightly incredulous tone, his wife called after him once more.

“Honey, you're wearing your coat!”

Sheepishly, Fievel glanced down and noted that she was right. Fumbling inside of his pockets, he eventually located his car keys and placed them in the bowl with the clattering of metal and glass. Feeling a little embarrassed, Fievel returned to the living room and gave his wife a small, apprehensive grin.

“Sorry, Marisa, I think my mind is in different places at the moment.”

Her gaze remained level, although she arched an inquisitive eyebrow at him as if to beckon him to continue. He did, readily, feeling as though he desperately needed to tell somebody else the unnatural experience he had gone through back at the antique store.

“I… Uhm… Darling, something weird happened when I bought that mirror.”

She continued to look at him, her expression now becoming a little suspicious. Her silence was all the invitation Fievel needed to proceed with his explanation.

“When I looked at it… I… Uh… Well…”

He fumbled for the right words, and Marisa leaned forward intently, her ears pointed at him telling him that he had her undivided attention. Swallowing, he finally decided to just state it literally.

“I saw my younger self in it, when I looked into it. It was like a magical spell or something. I can't explain it exactly. But there I was, no more than a two or three year old kitten. In the mirror. That one there.”

He pointed at the object on the coffee table, Marisa following his gaze and edging herself slightly further along the couch away from the mirror. They remained silent for a moment, as Fievel silently berated himself for how ridiculous what he said must have sounded to his wife. Marisa appeared to be thinking for a moment, before sitting up straight and rising to her paws. She clasped her front paws together, and gave her husband a pleasant smile as if she were very much talking to a small child who was behaving undesirably.

“I think you’ve had a bit of a long day sweetie, why don’t you wait here for a few minutes and collect yourself while I get dinner ready, hmm?”

She passed him, depositing a small peck on his cheek and caressing the underside of his chin. Fievel sighed, nodding and trundling over to the couch where he sat himself down. He leaned his head back, closing his eyes and mulling over what had happened at the antique shop. He was sure he had not imagined it, but describing it to his wife made him sound only a little crazy.

He was not known for being a very eccentric fur, but the excuse his wife had come up with that he had been a little overworked did not rest well with him. He was perfectly lucid, and he knew exactly what he saw in that mirror; there was no doubt about it. It was him when he was a little kitten, it had looked exactly like the pictures he had of himself when he was that age, there was no mistaking.

Fievel opened his eyes, glancing at the wrapped mirror on the coffee table with increased suspicion. He noted that although his wife, who normally opened up the presents he got for her as soon as they were in her paws, had decided to not open it despite her assumption that he was overworked. Fievel continued to brood for a few minutes longer, until his wife called from the kitchen that dinner was set at the table. Heaving himself onto his feet, Fievel decided to put it out of his mind for the evening to enjoy the rest of it, celebrating his anniversary with his loving, gorgeous wife.

He seated himself at the dining room table, raising his glass filled with mulberry wine to hers.

“To our lives spent together.”

Marisa said, her eyes sparkling with happiness as they met with his.

“To our lives spent together.”

He repeated, reciprocating the gesture and giving her a soft smile of his own. They drank, and continued the rest of the evening in happy conversation, chatting excitedly about their plans for next weekend.